I know that preparing for prostate cancer radiotherapy can be a stressful journey. I sincerely hope that this post does not offend anyone - please let me know if it does.
We are working on developing a robotic system designed to make spacer placement safer, more precise, and free from unnecessary delays. To ensure we are addressing real concerns and making a meaningful difference, we’d love to hear from those who have undergone, or are considering, spacer placement.
I had a Barrigel spacer inserted last year prior to my RT and was fortunate to have a very experienced surgeon who covered much of the south of England and he was able to place the spacer accurately.
The video looks fine. I think it could be a good idea. I was suitable for a spacer as my tumour was towards the front of my prostate and not the rear. It would be good if your system was able to handle tumours towards the rear of the prostate - i.e. butting up against the rectum. I understand that's tricky because you don't want any tumour to end up between the spacer and the rectum.
thanks so much for the reply and feedback. I am so glad your spacer placement went well.
Your idea about the system being able to handle the location of the tumour being at the back is excellent - will take this on board and investigate further!
I am also glad that the robot idea does not feel that strange to you!
I had the SpaceOAR(TM) spacer installed. It was a somewhat uncomfortable procedure. I wanted to get Barrigel, but my RO was not trained in it. Good luck with your proposal!
Like MarkS, I had a Barrigel spacer procedure done before my radiation treatments. The doctor that inserted the hyaluronic acid was trained by my RO and he helped develop Barrigel. Easy procedure - even for me and I hate anything to do with hospitals! While they were "in there" the doctor inserted the gold fiducials needed for the IMRT. That's something for you to consider since it's needed.
About a month later, I had an MRI prior to my brachytherapy procedure and after reviewing the MRI info, my RO told me the spacer positioning was perfect with a significant gap between the prostate and rectum. I forget the exact thickness of the barrier, but he said it was about twice as much as he sees with SpaceOar.
Hope this helps. Anything to make the PC treatment better for us is a great effort so I hope you succeed.
"even for me and I hate anything to do with hospitals!"
Hey Harry... we got another one who hates hospitals. That makes two this month....I think we have to order more paper for our printer and add a new flavor of Jell-O to the menu...Geez complaints, complaints all we get is complaints.....
I too had Barrigel, but my urologist inserted the gold fiducials at a previous appointment. It would have been nice to have them done at the same time, but my urologist actually introduced the Barrigel during the fiducials appointment, and we had to wait a couple weeks for insurance to approve. Also in the room during the Barrigel placement was the product representative, who guided my urologist throughout the procedure. Overall it went very well, and I was happy to have the extra barrier to protect my sensitive areas.
To the point of the original post, if a robot can handle the insertion of the fiducials and the application of the (gel), I’d be fine with it. Unless a urologist has an enormous PCa practice, it’s difficult for them to see enough patients on a frequent enough basis to fully master the application process. That said, with the comparatively low volume of spacer gel applications overall, would the robot be cost prohibitive for all but the biggest hospitals, at which point we’re back to human doctors doing the work?
these are all excellent points! food for thought and development for us. The insurance angle and having all needed done in one procedure is another point to think about!
I had my Radiotherapy nearly 20 years ago ,and ever since having it I have had a lot of problems. In fact now my bladder kneck is blocked,and I have a superpubic catheter in permanently.The NHS have done everything they can and I've had wonderful care. But if any advice that I can give is of value to you ,is because after radiotherapy it's much more difficult to have a prostactomy looking back I wish that I had not had radiotherapy and gone straight for prostate removal.ROBERT HICKS
thank you for sharing! do you think if the brachytherapy was more accurate or somehow better, then you would not have had these problems? do the doctors (or you) have any idea what went wrong? did you have spacer placement before it?
In August 2020, I had a PSA of 35 & Gleason score of 9 (4-5). I immediately received ADT treatment. Oral to begin with, followed by two abdominal injections six months apart. I received 13 rounds of LDRT followed by HDR Brachy Therapy. I did not have any spacer placement & no urinary or bowel issues following treatment. I’m a few months short of 5 years since my diagnosis and my PSA remains at 0.1, while my T varies from 5 to 7. 🤞
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